Department for Transport

Transport for the North

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the creation of the Northern Transport Acceleration Council, what plans they have to amend (1) the constitution, (2) the powers, and (3) the methods of operation and decision-making of Transport for the North.

baroness vere of norbiton: Matters concerning the constitution, methods of operation and decision-making of Transport for the North (TfN) are for the TfN Board to consider. The creation of the Northern Transport Acceleration Council does not impact on TfN’s powers in any way.

Transport: Schools

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional funding they intend to provide to bus and coach operators toensure that COVID-19 (1) safety, and (2) additional capacity, requirements are in place when schools return in September; and when they plan to announce their funding decisions for such provision.

baroness vere of norbiton: The return of pupils to education settings in September will be a considerable challenge for public transport capacity while maintaining social distancing. The Department is working with the Department for Education as a matter of urgency to explore options to increase capacity to ensure students can get to school or college in September. Solutions must be locally-led with authorities working closely with transport operators, and the Government will do what we can to support local authorities. The Government is therefore supporting local authorities with travel demand management, and we will continue to provide financial support for bus services in September in order to boost the amount of local transport capacity available.

Commuters: Greater London

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the (1) absolute numbers, and (2) proportions of commuters, travelling into by London by (a) rail including London Underground, (b) bus, (c) car, (d) bicycle, and (e) motor cycle.

baroness vere of norbiton: To monitor the use of the transport system during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the Department for Transport provides statistics on transport use by mode, published every Wednesday. Data on usage of the different transport modes is available on GOV.UK. This includes usage of Tube and Bus in London compared to a pre Covid-19 baseline. Specific data on the purpose of a journey (e.g. commuting) by mode is not available for the Covid-19 period yet. Historic data on this can be found in the National Travel Survey and in Transport Statistics Great Britain both available on GOV.UK.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place (1) the external consultant review report, and (2) the Infrastructure and Projects Authority review report, on the Wendover Short-Mined Tunnel proposal, in the Library of the House.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government will not be placing copies of the reports referred to in the Libraries of either House. These reports are internal to the Department for Transport and are not intended for publication.

Bus Services: Coronavirus

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the findings of the review by the UCL Institute of Health Equity into COVID-19 related deaths of bus workers in London, published 27 July, whether they intend to issue new guidance to bus companies to protect drivers and other front-line staff.

baroness vere of norbiton: We have been clear that the safety of transport workers is a top priority, and employers must take appropriate measures to protect all staff in line with the recommendations we have set out in the Safer Transport guidance, to ensure their workplaces are Covid-19 secure. This includes making sensible workplace adjustments, for example introducing screens, providing hand sanitiser, and reducing capacity onboard services in line with social distancing requirements.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Sizewell C Power Station: Construction

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate the construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station will begin; and what funding modelwill be used for that construction.

lord callanan: It is for individual developers to consider milestones, such as estimates of when construction will commence. Any funding model would be agreed as part of a negotiation, should the Government enter into one.

Wylfa Power Station: Development Consent Orders

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate the development consent order for the proposed nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd willbe approved.

lord callanan: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State is considering the Examining Authority’s Recommendation Report regarding development consent for the proposed Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station. This Report is being reviewed alongside the further information received following the Government’s post-examination consultation on the application. The deadline for the Secretary of State’s decision is 30 September 2020.

OneWeb: Investment

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to utiliseOneWebin their future defence and commercial strategies; and how many jobsthey estimate will result from their investment in OneWebin the UK.

lord callanan: OneWeb and its capabilities will be considered as part of the Space Strategy under the direction of the National Space Council. As the OneWeb offering matures, we will monitor its utility to critical national infrastructure, as we do with a variety of capabilities and providers. The agreement we have secured with Bharti secures 70 existing UK jobs in OneWeb, and we will be looking to expand the company and its supply chain in the UK.

Oneweb

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Callanan on 8 July (HL Deb, col 1119), how long they estimate it will take OneWeb to provide the UK with sovereign-controlled satellite capabilities.

lord callanan: We are working with the company and our partners, and the capability will be available once the constellation reaches minimum viable service.

Hospitality Industry: Coronavirus

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take action to protect diagnosed diabetics returning to work in the hospitality industry from the risk of COVID-19 infection.

lord callanan: It is for each business to carry out its own risk assessment, in consultation with their workers, to inform the actions they should take to reduce the risks of COVID-19. The Government has published guidance – specifically, section 3.1 ‘Protecting people who are at higher risk’ – to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These guides cover a range of working environments and are available on the Government’s website. Nothing in this guidance affects employers’ existing responsibilities under employment and equalities legislation. Employers therefore need to bear in mind the particular needs of different groups or individuals, and make sure that the steps they take to address the risk of COVID-19 do not unjustifiably impact on some groups compared with others. The safer workplaces guidance provides information to employers on how best to meet these responsibilities in the context of COVID-19.

Oneweb

lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement byLord Callanan on 8 July (HL Deb, col 1119) that OneWeb “has many applications that the UK can leverage, including defence applications” and the Written Answer byBaroness Goldie on 14 July (HL6644) which stated that “the investment in OneWeb is not a Defence matter”, whether OneWeb has any current defence applications; if so what those applications are; and if not, when they became aware that OneWeb could not be applied to defence matters.

lord callanan: The current OneWeb offering does not include any defence specific applications. The investment in OneWeb is not a defence matter. Moving forward, OneWeb’s capabilities around its second-generation satellite offering will be reviewed in the context of the UK’s evolving civil and military space requirements.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with ACU Strategic Partners about the future construction of nuclear power stations.

lord callanan: The Government engages in discussions with numerous companies in the nuclear sector. I am unable to comment on any specific discussions due to commercial sensitivities.

Insolvency

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to bring forward proposals for the regulation of Prepack Administrations;and if so when.

lord callanan: The Government will publish a report in due course of its review of the voluntary measures that were introduced in 2015 to enhance regulation of pre-pack administrations. The report will set out the Government’s plans for the future of pre-pack administrations.

Industrial Health and Safety: Coronavirus

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide guidance about (1) employment rights, and (2) COVID-19-related health and safety issues, to all employees and employers in the UK from 1 August.

lord callanan: The Government’s guidance on work and financial support in relation to coronavirus includes information about employment rights as well as other key issues such as how to access financial support, safe working and childcare. This can be found on the GOV.UK website. Acas also offers guidance and advice for employers and employees. This can be accessed through the Acas website or by calling the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. The Government has also provided clear and comprehensive safer workplaces guidance for employers and employees. This guidance has and will integrate, where appropriate, the Department for Health and Social Care’s guidance on protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19. The safer workplaces guidance is non-statutory but does not change existing obligations relating to health and safety, employment, or equalities. Employers have a duty under UK law to protect the health and safety of their workers and other people who might be affected by their business. This includes considering the risks that COVID-19 represents. The Health and Safety Executive website also has specific guidance on the risk assessment process and the steps businesses should take.

Flexible Working

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have (1) to strengthen the right of employees to request flexible working, and(2) to ensure that employers prioritise arrangements for staff to work from home rather than in offices, from 1 August.

lord callanan: The Government is clear about the benefits of flexible working for employers and their employees. All employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer have the right to request Flexible Working. In our manifesto we said that, subject to consultation, we would introduce measures to make flexible working the default. From 1 August, we are giving employers more discretion to make decisions about how their staff can work safely. This could mean continuing to work from home or it could mean working in a covid-secure workplace. We encourage employers to discuss this with their employees. The Government has clearly set out how to make workplaces covid-secure in its Safer Workplaces guidance. As we reopen our economy, it’s right that we give employers more discretion while continuing to ensure employees are kept safe.

Hydrogen Advisory Council

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to expand the Hydrogen Advisory Council as part of the formation of a wider UK hydrogen strategy.

lord callanan: We are committed to developing hydrogen as a decarbonised energy carrier and are developing our strategic approach to growing the UK hydrogen economy. In order to support this, we established the Hydrogen Advisory Council, which first met on 20th July 2020. The Council will enable Government to work in partnership with Industry to ensure the UK is at the forefront of low carbon hydrogen production and supply, which will have a key role to play in supporting clean growth and tackling climate change. The Council will initially focus on actions to enable the scale up of hydrogen production, and its membership reflects this. The Council will oversee a range of workstreams in support of its objectives. If deemed appropriate, some of the workstreams may be delivered by working groups, membership of which may come from the organisations represented on the Council and/or more widely according to need.

Oneweb: Investment

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 15 July (HL6348), how they propose to be publicly accountable for their investment in OneWeb.

lord callanan: The deal is subject to certain regulatory clearances and is expected to close before the end of the year. We will have strong representation on the board, fully involved in setting the strategic direction of the business and developing the company’s business plan. Mechanisms will be implemented for the continued monitoring and evaluation of the investment.

Oneweb: Investment

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 26 June, what assessment they have made of the accuracy of the statement “there is a possibility that the entirety of the investment is lost and no wider benefits accrued” in relation to the investment into OneWeb.

lord callanan: The Government carried out a detailed examination of the business which demonstrated a commercial case for investment. The fact that we are investing alongside a private commercial investor indicates a rational commercial case for investing. The deal will support the UK to be a pioneer in the research, development, manufacturing of novel satellite technologies, whilst boosting UK manufacturing.

Companies: Annual reports

baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy research paper Stakeholder perceptions of non-financial reporting, published in October 2019, (1) why they commissioned PwC to undertake this research; (2) whether the tendering process took account of any financial interest PwC had in non-financial reporting systems relating to that company’s audit services; (3) why the paper does not specify (a) which stakeholders were involved in the research, and (b) how they were selected; (4) what assessment they have made of the relative benefits of UK-led non-financial reporting standards compared to international standards; and (5) what assessment they have made of the difficulty in reaching a consensus on common international standards for non-financial reporting of (a) human rights, and (b) climate change, impacts.

lord callanan: The PWC research was commissioned to inform work on a post-implementation review of non-financial reporting regulations, covering: a) the 2013 regulations which required all companies, apart from those subject to the small companies’ exemption, to produce strategic reports, and b) the 2016 non-financial reporting regulations which required all large (>500 employees) Public Interest Entities to report on environmental, social and community matters to the extent necessary for an understanding of the company’s development, performance and position, and the impact of their activities. The research project was put out to tender in line with the Public Procurement Guidelines. BEIS received two bids to carry out the work and PWC was selected as the preferred contractor, based on the quality of the bid including their expertise. The project was managed by a social researcher who agreed all details related to the methodology and its implementation. The focus of the report was on stakeholder and company perceptions of the regulations and their impact in general and did not use, or consider the use of, non-financial reporting systems by PwC or any other company. For the qualitative interviews, the Department selected stakeholders covering a likely cross section of views, including a range of investor groups and non-profit and professional bodies and they are listed on page 12 of the report. The stakeholder interviews were intended to complement the quantitative survey of over 100 companies, who provided their views on a confidential basis.  Although different reporting frameworks and international standards were not a focus of the 2019 research, the UK Government supports the use of international frameworks or standards for reporting on non-financial issues where this is possible. We have commissioned further research, which will include looking at the role of domestic and international reporting frameworks.

Boilers: Waste Heat Recovery

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 23 July (HL6670), what estimate they have made of how much less carbon dioxide would be emitted if boilers in all large houses were fitted with stored passive flue gas heat recovery technology (1) when such houses are built, or (2) when boilers in such houses are replaced.

lord callanan: Passive Flue Gas Heat Recovery System’s (PFGHR) with thermal storage can deliver total annual gas savings for heating hot water of around 30% for a typical domestic building. This is equivalent to a boiler efficiency improvement of around 5% versus a system without. These savings can vary significantly depending on the volume of the thermal store, space heating demand, usage patterns and property type. Domestic hot water gas savings will typically be close to 20% for a new-build dwelling, and up to 35% for a larger existing property.

Viagogo

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to those who have been refused refunds for cancelled events by the ticket resale site Viagogo.

lord callanan: Under consumer protection law where a cancellation occurs, consumers may be entitled to a refund within 14 days, depending on the nature of the contract in place. Some businesses are also offering consumers alternative arrangements which individuals are able to choose should they wish. Consumers who paid by debit or credit card for an event, may also be able to secure a refund from their bank or credit card provider. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has created a Covid-19 taskforce and set up an online form to enable consumers to report any business they believe is behaving unfairly during the coronavirus pandemic. The online form can be found on the CMA’s website. The CMA also announced on 30th April that in response to complaints about refunds they would be considering enforcement action in a number of sectors. The CMA has published guidance to help consumers understand their rights and to help businesses treat their customers fairly. The guidance, “Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, consumer contracts, cancellations and refunds” is available on the CMA’s website. Consumers can also seek free advice and help from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133, consumers living in Scotland should contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060 or through their website.

Fuels: Prices

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to recent decisions by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the current wholesale cost of fuel, what assessment they have made of the cost of fuel at petrol stations in the UK.

lord callanan: Her Majesty’s Government monitors the national average retail prices of fuels and these are published on GOV.UK. BEIS analysis shows that changes in the price of crude oil are the main driver of movements in the national average retail prices of fuels such a petrol and diesel. Other factors include currency exchange rates and the balance of supply and demand for these fuels in the wholesale petroleum products markets. Changes in the price of crude oil feed through to the retail prices over the course of about 6 weeks. The Government believes that a competitive market is the best way to keep prices low. Retail fuels markets are subject to UK competition law under the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Sizewell C Power Station

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to announce details of the financial funding arrangements for the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power station, in particular the method by which electricity consumers would be protected from future project cost escalation; andwhat plans they have to publish those details before the Development Consent Order application, accepted by the Planning Inspectorate on 26 June, is considered at Examination.

lord callanan: The Government is reviewing options for the financing of new nuclear projects. In 2019, we consulted on a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) as a possible funding model for future nuclear projects. The consultation sought views from stakeholders on proposed design principles for a nuclear RAB, including risk sharing arrangements with consumers. Our consultation was not project specific, as each project has its own financial considerations. We are currently considering consultation feedback and will respond in due course.

Sizewell C Power Station: Coronavirus

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to pause consideration of the application by EDF to construct the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power station at the end of the pre-examination stage, until those who are unable to take part in a virtual examination as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic may take part in an open examination.

lord callanan: The Examining Authority at the Planning Inspectorate will proceed with its consideration of EDF’s application in line with the published guidance on current procedures for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. The Planning Inspectorate is considering ways in which the process can be conducted to ensure that Interested Parties are able to take part. There are currently no plans to pause the application at the end of the pre-examination stage. Further information is available at the GOV.UK website.

Insolvency

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pre-pack administrations were referred to the Pre Pack Pool in each week since the beginning of February.

lord callanan: There were 16 referrals to the Pre-Pack Pool between 1 February 2020 and 24 July 2020. The table below provides a weekly break down of referrals for the period in question.  Referrals made to the Pre-Pack Pool between 1 February 2020 and 24 July 2020Week commencingNumber of pre-pack referrals9 March 2020113 April 202021 June 202018 June 2020115 June 2020129 June 202016 July 2020413 July 20205

Insolvency

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the pre-pack administrations referred to the Pre Pack Pool since the beginning of February, what was the amount owed to unsecured creditors.

lord callanan: Applications to the Pre-Pack Pool are made in confidence and the Insolvency Service does not hold this information. However, if a company subsequently enters administration, details of amounts owed to unsecured creditors must be set out in a statement of affairs of the company, which must be filed at Companies House and made available on the company’s public record as soon as reasonably practicable by the administrator.

Insolvency

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support the Pre Pack Pool has received from the Insolvency Service; and what plans they have, if any, to enhance this support.

lord callanan: The Pre-Pack Pool’s operation is overseen by the Pre-Pack Pool Oversight Group, which comprises representatives from the creditor community, the insolvency profession, insolvency regulators and officials from the Insolvency Service. The Insolvency Service also provides secretariat support to the Oversight Group.

Insolvency

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many meetings have taken place between the Pre Pack Pool and the Insolvency service in (1) 2019, and (2) 2020; and what subjects were discussed.

lord callanan: Officials from the Insolvency Service attended three meetings of the Pre-Pack Pool Oversight Group in 2019 and one meeting so far in 2020. The Pre-Pack Pool Oversight Group includes representatives from the Pre-Pack Pool. The meetings attended by officials discussed the operation of the Pre-Pack Pool and the Insolvency Service’s review of voluntary measures to reform pre-pack sales in administration.

Small Business Commissioner

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 26 February (HL1663), what progress they have made on the measures announced in June 2019 to strengthen the role of the Small Business Commissioner.

lord callanan: The Government is fully committed on fulfilling its manifesto commitment to strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner. We still plan to consult on extending those powers, to allow the Commissioner to advocate for and support small businesses, as soon as we are able to do so.

Business: Human Rights

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that all firms based in, and selling products in, the UK comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in conducting due diligence on the impact of the products they sell.

lord callanan: The Government supports the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights - the authoritative, voluntary international framework, which encourages businesses to conduct due diligence as part of their approaches to protecting human rights. The Government also drives transparency from our businesses to hold them to account on human rights. UK listed companies cover relevant human rights issues as part of their annual corporate reporting and our large businesses publish supply chain transparency statements according to the Modern Slavery Act, including on due diligence approaches where these are followed. In May, the Government published two policy papers which provide an update on what the Government has done to implement the UN Guiding Principles and to give an overview of how each government department contributes to this work.

Energy

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a Green Paper for public consultation on the energy options available for the UK prior to publishing an energy White Paper.

lord callanan: The Energy White Paper will be published in the Autumn. We will engage our stakeholders in the implementation of its policy package, including through formal consultations, where appropriate.

Sizewell C Power Station

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether China General Nuclear Cooperation’s 20per cent holding in NNB Generation Company (SZC) Ltd entitles that Cooperation to a nuclear site licence for Sizewell C; and what assessment they have made of the suitability of that cooperation as a nuclear power operator if they subsequently acquired a controlling interest in NNB Generation Company (SZC) Ltd.

lord callanan: All nuclear site licences are assessed and granted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). Site licensees are required to comply with stringent safety and security regulations overseen by the ONR. A nuclear site licence does not confer any special status on shareholders, regardless of the size of their stake, and does not entitle them to hold a nuclear site licence now or in the future. An individual site licence is not transferable; any significant change in the management structure of NNB Generating Company (SZC) Ltd would trigger a revision and reapproval of the site licence to reflect the new arrangements.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Islamic State: Coronavirus

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of reports that the influence of Daesh has grown during the COVID-19 pandemic; what is their current assessment of the risk posed by Daesh in the Middle East; and what steps they are taking to address any such risk.

baroness sugg: We are concerned by reports that Daesh is using the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis to exert their influence. As the Defence Secretary outlined in the Counter-Daesh Statement on 22 July in the House, we continue to work closely with our allies in the Global Coalition to prevent Daesh from resurging, in particular in Syria and Iraq. The Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa discussed this in a Counter-Daesh Coalition Small Group meeting on 4 June. He also raised the importance of the continued fight against Daesh in his conversations with Iraq's Ambassador to the UK on 16 March and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hakim on 1 April. The UK supports the UN Secretary-General's call for a global ceasefire in armed conflicts and we will continue to work closely with international partners towards peace in the Middle East, particularly in light of COVID-19.

USA: Nuclear Weapons

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of the United Stateshas plans to conduct a demonstration nuclear test explosion.

baroness sugg: The US Government has assured us that they have no intention of conducting a demonstration nuclear test explosion. On 16 July, in a White House speech, President Trump noted that '[s]ince 1992, the US observed a moratorium on such testing and have relied on the scientific and technological expertise of our weapons complex to ensure our deterrent is safe, secure, and effective. True to our word, we maintain our moratorium'.

Hong Kong: Judges

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the introduction of new security laws in Hong Kong, what assessment they have made of whether British judges should continue to sit on Hong Kong’s courts.

baroness sugg: The UK judiciary is independent of the UK Government. Lord Reed, the President of the UK Supreme Court said in a statement on 17 July, that continued service of UK judges needed to be compatible with judicial independence and the rule of law. The Supreme Court will continue to assess the position in Hong Kong as it develops.

Hong Kong: Judges

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they hold on the (1) recent, (2) current, and (3) planned future, service of British judges in Hong Kong’s courts.

baroness sugg: The UK judiciary is independent of the UK Government. Lord Reed, the President of the UK Supreme Court said in a statement on 17 July, that continued service of UK judges needed to be compatible with judicial independence and the rule of law The Supreme Court will continue to assess the position in Hong Kong as it develops.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Legal Costs

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 17 July (HL6542), what has been the total cost to the public purse of the UK’s participation in recent proceedings before the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965.

baroness sugg: These advisory proceedings in the International Court of Justice concerned a request for an advisory opinion from the United Nations General Assembly. All Member States of the United Nations were invited to participate in the proceedings. Thirty-one States and the African Union filed written statements, and ten States and the African Union filed written comments on the written statements. Twenty‑two States and the African Union participated in the oral proceedings, which took place in September 2018. The UK participated at all stages of the proceedings. The ICJ handed down its advisory opinion in February 2019.

Iran: Israel

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made (1) of reports that recent attacks on military sites in Iran have been authorised by the government of Israel, and (2) of the possible consequences of such attacks.

baroness sugg: Following an explosion on 2 July in a building at the Natanz facility, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said they knew the cause but due to "security concerns" further details would be released at an "appropriate time". We will continue to monitor Iran's response to recent explosions, and continue to urge de-escalation in the region.

China: Uighurs

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the statement by the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, in a letter of 20 July to the Ambassador of China to the UK that “the world will neither forgive nor forget a genocide against the Uyghur people.”

baroness sugg: We are aware of the statement. We have made clear our serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the extra-judicial detention of over a million Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in "political re-education camps", systematic restrictions on Uyghur culture and the practice of Islam, and extensive and invasive surveillance targeting minorities.

China: Uighurs

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to seek international support for a full and impartial investigation into the detention of Uighur Muslims in camps in Xinjiang.

baroness sugg: The UK has played a leading role in drawing attention to the deeply concerning situation in Xinjiang. This has included working with international partners in relevant UN bodies, such as the UN Human Rights Council, to call for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and her Office to be granted immediate and unfettered access to the region. We also frequently raise our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities, urging them to change their approach in Xinjiang and to respect international human rights norms.

China: Uighurs

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussed the detention of Uighur Muslims in camps in Xinjiang with the Ambassador of China to the UK; and what response they received to any such discussions.

baroness sugg: The Minister for Asia raised the Government's serious concerns about the detention of Uyghurs in so-called "re-education camps" with the Chinese Ambassador to the UK during their most recent meeting on 5 March. Officials also regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Chinese Embassy. We will continue to raise this issue with the Chinese authorities, both bilaterally with China and at the UN alongside our international partners.

China: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of China about (1) its rejection of Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and (2) whether that government will support Article 18 in the future.

baroness sugg: We regularly raise human rights concerns, and the need for China to uphold its international obligations with the Chinese authorities. On 9 March the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi. On 30 June, the UK read out a statement on behalf of 28 countries at the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council highlighting concerns about arbitrary detention, widespread surveillance and restrictions, particularly those targeting Uyghurs and other minorities, in Xinjiang.

Hong Kong: Extradition

baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Foreign Secretary on 20 July (HC Deb, col 1832) that he will not consider reactivating extradition arrangements with Hong Kong “unless and until there are clear and robust safeguards that can prevent extradition from the UK being misused under the new national security legislation”, whether (1)revision, or (2) revocation, of Article 38 of the new national security law would be sufficient to reactivate those extradition arrangements; and if not, whether further measures will be required.

baroness sugg: The imposition of the National Security Law has significantly changed key assumptions underpinning the UK extradition treaty arrangements with Hong Kong.The Foreign Secretary expressed concern about Article 38 of the legislation during a statement to Parliament on 1 July, noting that it is not entirely clear how the provision will be applied. He further noted that this is something that tourists and visitors from all around the world would be concerned about.We are also particularly concerned about Articles 55 to 59 of the law, which gives mainland Chinese authorities the ability to assume jurisdiction over certain cases and try those cases in mainland Chinese courts. The National Security Law does not provide legal or judicial safeguards in such cases.

Libya: IRA

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the findings of theSpecial Representative on UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism.

baroness sugg: Ministers have now received the Special Representative's Scoping Report. We remain committed to ensuring the report receives the required Government time and resource. This has been challenging whilst the Government's main effort has been focussed on our response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The issue of UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism remains important to Her Majesty's Government. Government ministers will consider the report in detail in due course, including whether to publish any elements of it.

Lebanon: Neutrality

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal for Lebanon to become a permanently neutral state, as advocated by the Rt Rev Bechara Boutros Al-Rai.

baroness sugg: It is for Lebanon to decide on its foreign and security policy. We continue to urge the Government of Lebanon to fully implement its policy of disassociation from regional conflicts, and abide by the provisions of all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, including 1559 and 1701. The Minister for Middle East and North Africa stressed this point again to key Lebanese politicians during his virtual visit to Lebanon on 23 July.

Turkey: Armed Forces

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto discuss with the government of Turkey that country's military commitments in Libya, Syria and Iraq; and in particular the compatibility of those commitments with NATO membership.

baroness sugg: Turkey is a key NATO ally - one of the largest contributors of military personnel - and sits on the frontline of some of the most difficult and serious challenges we face. We will continue to work closely with Turkey within NATO on challenges to peace and security.The UK does not support Turkish military activity in Libya, which risks aggravating the conflict and worsening regional tensions. We have expressed our concerns to the Turkish Government, as we have with other external actors whose activity continues to fuel the conflict. All parties to the Libyan conflict must de-escalate, commit to a ceasefire and return to UN-led political dialogue. The Foreign Secretary delivered this message to Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu during his visit to London on 8 July.The Foreign Secretary also discussed Syria with the Foreign Minister; Ministers and officials regularly discuss the situation in northern Syria with the Government of Turkey. The UK made clear our opposition to the unilateral Turkish intervention in north-east Syria in October 2019. We welcome the ceasefire currently in place in the north-east and also acknowledge the important role Turkey has played in recent months to secure a ceasefire in Idlib.Regarding Turkish military actions in northern Iraq, the British Ambassador in Ankara has spoken to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including on reports of civilian casualties. We continue to urge dialogue and cooperation between Iraq and Turkey to combat terrorism, ensure regional security and protect civilians.

Africa: Racial Discrimination

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the governmentsthat make upthe AfricanGroup about the draft proposal for a UN Human Rights Council inquiry into systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent by law enforcement agencies.

baroness sugg: The UK Government regularly engages with governments that make up the African Group on a number of issues. Information on discussions about the draft proposal for a UN Human Rights Council inquiry into systematic racism against Africans and people of African descent by law enforcement agencies is not centrally held, and can only be made available at a disproportionate cost.The UK is committed to combatting all forms of racism, both at home and abroad. We actively participate in the full range of racism-related UN mechanisms, and speak out against instances of racism and intolerance bilaterally and in multilateral fora. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon recently discussed the importance of combatting racism during the UK's closing statement at the 44th session of the Human Rights Council, on 26 June.

Harry Dunn

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States about the death of Harry Dunn.

baroness sugg: The Foreign Secretary has discussed this regularly with the US Government. Most recently, both the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister raised it with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 22 July. They made clear that we believed the US refusal of the extradition request for Mrs Sacoolas amounted to a denial of justice, and that she should return to the UK.

Eastern Europe: LGBT People

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide protection and support for LGBT+ communities in eastern Europe.

baroness sugg: The UK is implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination and is committed to promoting and protecting the rights and freedoms of LGBT people in all circumstances. The UK plays an active role in eastern Europe and across the world in support of LGBT rights. The UK became Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) co-chair on 14 June 2019, in partnership with Argentina. The ERC is a group of 42 like-minded States that share best practice and promotes LGBT equality globally. The UK has ambitious plans, including delivery of an ERC Strategy and Action Plan to re-energise the work of the ERC.We continue to engage with Governments across the region on this agenda. On 30 April, the Minister for Europe and the Americas raised with Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Magyar our concerns regarding the impact on transgender rights of amendments to the Registry Act. On 17 June, she raised with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Titov the UK's deep concern regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in Russia, including the persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya.Our embassies across the region work actively to promote LGBT rights, regularly engaging in dialogue on this issue with Governments, local civil societies and our diplomatic partners. They also continue to work with local LGBT communities to identify opportunities to tackle discrimination and promote inclusion by supporting human rights defenders during Pride and anti-discrimination events. Our embassies proudly fly the rainbow flag for International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) and during Pride month.

Israel: Armed Forces

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what statistics they have on the number of Israeli soldiers who have been charged with crimes of unlawful killing.

baroness sugg: The Government is very concerned at the high numbers of Palestinians killed by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. We have raised the issue with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out transparent investigations where necessary into whether use of live fire had been appropriate.

Gaza: Israel

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israelabout the future of Gaza.

baroness sugg: We are deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. We encourage the Palestinian Authority, Israel, regional and international actors to put forward sustainable, long-term proposals for resolving the threat posed to Israel's security by Hamas and for returning the Palestinian Authority to government functions in Gaza. Hamas' ongoing decision to embrace violence lies at the heart of the Gazan tragedy. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem also frequently urge the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to take steps to improve conditions in Gaza. The UK will continue to urge the parties to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza's reconstruction and economic recovery. We continue to stress to the Israeli authorities the damage that their restrictions on movement, access and trade are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians in Gaza.

Armenia: Azerbaijan

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to recent fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers, what assessment they have made of the current security situation on the Armenia–Azerbaijan state border; and what discussions they have had with international partners on ways to prevent further escalation.

baroness sugg: The Government is deeply concerned by the recent ceasefire violations on the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and regrets the loss of life. We continue to monitor the situation closely. The Government supports the negotiations facilitated by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group aimed at securing a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement of 14 July called for both sides to respect the ceasefire, engage in dialogue and refrain from rhetoric that could increase tensions. In our conversations with both governments we will continue to stress the need for a return to substantive talks and the importance of building confidence in the peacebuilding process.

USA: West Africa

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to recent violent street protests against the government of Mali, what assessment they have made of the current security situation in Mali; what representations they have received from the government of the United States about a decision on the status of US armed forces in West Africa since January; and whether they have further reviewed the impact of any possible withdrawal of US armed forces on UK armed forces deployed in West Africa.

baroness sugg: The UK is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation across the Sahel, including in Mali. The current political crisis in Mali adds another layer of complexity to an already fragile situation. We urge all actors to exercise restraint, respect human rights and the rule of law and engage constructively in efforts to find a peaceful resolution. We welcome swift engagement by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to encourage progress.The current situation further underlines the need to address the underlying drivers of conflict in Mali and the broader region. The UK is contributing to international efforts to do this. The Minister for Africa attended the first meeting of the Sahel Alliance General Assembly and the sixth Summit of the G5 Leaders (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) in Mauritania on 25 February and the virtual ministerial meeting of the Coalition for the Sahel on 12 June. At the meetings, he reaffirmed the UK's efforts to improve security and encourage development in the Sahel. The UK is due to deploy to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) at the end of the year and provides non-combat assistance to the French-led counter-terrorism mission Operation BARKHANE, in the form of three CH47 chinook helicopters. Our aid provides life-saving assistance to those most in need, helps ensure the protection of civilians, and contributes to improving governance and stability in the region.We closely coordinate with our key partners, including the US and France. No decisions on the status of US forces in West Africa have been formally communicated to the UK Government by the US Government. We assess that any possible withdrawal of US forces would have a minimal impact on our deployed forces, but we will keep this under close review.

Somalia: Security

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current security situation in the Gedo region of southern Somalia; and what discussions they have had at the UN with the governments of Ethiopia and Kenya in view of their respective support for the Federal Government of Somalia and the Jubaland regional state.

baroness sugg: The UK is concerned by the instability in Gedo, where clashes between forces of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the Somali Federal Member State (FMS) of Jubaland in February and March reportedly displaced 56,000 people and killed at least ten, including civilians. We have consistently underlined the need for urgent political dialogue between the FGS and FMS (including Jubaland) to build consensus and longer-term stability; and for Somalia's regional neighbours to engage constructively with the FGS and FMS to pursue their common goal of long-term stability. We raised this issue at UN Security Council meetings on 24 February and 21 May.

Conflict Prevention

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential (1) of creating new, and (2) of improving current,channels for détente and dialogueto prevent violent conflict and foster harmonious development globally.

baroness sugg: Dialogue is an essential part of efforts to prevent violent conflict. We continue to prioritise preventive diplomacy and mediation through the UN and push for greater collaboration on peacebuilding amongst international organisations. The evidence is also clear that women's meaningful participation in conflict prevention through to conflict resolution is key to securing sustainable peace. In the 20th anniversary year of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, we are prioritising promoting women's meaningful inclusion in peace processes; and increasing support and protection for women resolving conflict, countering violent extremism and building peace at the grassroots level.

Hopewell Chin'ono

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe about the detention of journalist Hopewell Chin’ono. [T]

baroness sugg: The UK is deeply worried by the arrest of Hopewell Chin'ono on 20 July, and by his continued detention. The Minister for Africa tweeted on 23 July to express his concern at the treatment of Mr Chin'ono and to urge the Zimbabwean authorities to uphold the right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Zimbabwe's constitution. The British Ambassador to Harare has sought a meeting with the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister, Sibusiso Moyo, to discuss our concerns, and officials at the British Embassy in Harare are closely following developments on his case. When the Minister for Africa spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June, he urged him to ensure the Government of Zimbabwe makes concrete progress on human rights and respects the rule of law.The UK is committed to the promotion of media freedom and the protection of journalists. Media freedom is an essential quality of any open society. People must be allowed to discuss and debate issues freely, to challenge their governments, and to make decisions informed by a strong and robust media. Zimbabwe is one of the UK's Media Freedom Focus Countries: we have called on the Government of Zimbabwe to commit to the Global Pledge on Media Freedom and to end the harassment of journalists, improve legislation and work with the international community to protect media freedom.

Ahmadiyya: Oppression

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Suffering of the Faithful – the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims and the rise of international extremism, published on 20 July; and what steps they are taking to address the recommendations of that report.

baroness sugg: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon was pleased to attend the launch of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's report on 20 July. We welcome the thrust of the report and are considering the recommendations made. The UK Government remains deeply concerned by reports of discrimination and violence against Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan and elsewhere. Most recently, Lord Ahmad raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief, with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 15 July. We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of its citizens, regardless of their belief.

Attorney General

Forced Marriage: Prosecutions

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prosecutions were initiated in relation to forced marriage in (1) 2014, (2) 2015, (3) 2016, (4) 2017, (5) 2018, and (5) 2019; and how many such prosecutions were successful in each year.

lord keen of elie: From 2014 to date, CPS data for the number of cases prosecuted and the outcomes is:  2014-20152015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-2020Convictions2932323776Non-Convictions1721121352Total46534450128 Between 2014 – 15 and 2017 – 18, this data included cases that included the forced marriage flag on the CPS’s case management system as well as cases charged as forced marriage. In 2018 – 19, the CPS conducted quality assurance checks on the guidance for applying the forced marriage flag. The data for that year does not include flagged cases but only cases charged as a forced marriage offence. The most recent data (2019 – 20) includes flagged cases but reflects the updated guidance on applying the flag which has resulted in improved accuracy.

Department for International Development

UNRWA: Coronavirus

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with UNWRA about any additionalfunding required to meet costsresulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; and whatassessment they have made of the decision of the governments of Germany and Italy to increasecontributions to that organisation.

baroness sugg: We are aware of increasing needs in the region due to the impact COVID-19, including in Palestinian refugee camps and continue to monitor the situation closely. We are currently reviewing options for support to UNRWA and recognise the central role it plays in the region until a just solution is found for refugees. Until that time, we support all efforts to increase funding to UNRWA, including from key partners such as Germany and Italy.

Zimbabwe: Humanitarian Situation

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

baroness sugg: The UK is extremely concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. Before the onset of COVID-19, Zimbabwe was already facing a humanitarian crisis due to drought, poor government policies and a worsening economy. According to the World Food Programme’s latest estimates, by December more than half the population – 8.6 million Zimbabweans – will be without the food they need. In response, the UK has committed £49m to provide humanitarian food aid and cash transfers, as well as £5m for the UNICEF cholera fund. To date, 448,000 extremely vulnerable people have received food assistance and 100,000 living in urban areas have received cash transfers

Palestinians: Electricity

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that rolling blackouts are being implemented in Palestine as a result of a contested accusation that electricity bills have not been paid.

baroness sugg: During the period of September to December 2019, we were aware that the Israel Electric Corporation implemented power cuts to parts of the West Bank, citing outstanding payments from Palestinian power distributors. We understand that that the Government of Israel and Palestinian Authority were able to reach an agreement to end the power cuts.

Overseas Aid: Poverty

baroness goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development enables the maintenance of good quality, poverty-focused aid.

baroness sugg: This Government is unashamed in believing that its job is to promote British influence around the world, to try to change the world for the better, and to get best value for the British taxpayer who spends so generously to help others. This change will help us do that.Our reputation as a world leader on development issues comes from three things: our thought leadership; the scale and quality of UK development programmes; and excellence of our analysis, long term perspective and staff. None of these will change with the creation of the FCDO, but our development work will now be better aligned with foreign policy and the broad UK national interest. It should make our development work even more effective. DFID has been a more effective spender of aid than any other Government department – that expertise must be brought into the centre of the new department.The work of UK Aid to reduce poverty will remain central to the new department’s mission and we will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act.

Poverty

baroness goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development on the world's poorest people.

baroness sugg: Spending 0.7 per cent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law and we will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act, including a commitment to poverty reduction.

International Assistance

baroness goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that (1) development and humanitarian concerns are heard at the highest levels of the Government, and (2) there is policy coherence in those areas across Departments.

baroness sugg: From the 1st September, the Foreign Secretary will lead the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. His seat at Cabinet will ensure that development and humanitarian concerns are at the heart of Cabinet decision-making. The Integrated Review will refresh systems to ensure policy coherence across HMG.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Public Expenditure

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that part of the budget of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is ring-fenced for the provision of international aid.

baroness sugg: We will continue to look at how this money can be spent most effectively in our national interest, including through the Integrated Review – which will inform the priorities of the new Department. Development spending will remain central to the new department’s mission. Our commitment to spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law and we will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act, including a commitment to poverty reduction.

Overseas Aid: Poverty

baroness goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their announcementthat they have identified a £2.9 billion package of reductionsin their plannedOfficial Development Assistancespend, whatsteps they are takingto ensure that reductions in such spend are made to programmes that have been found to be less effective at poverty alleviation.

baroness sugg: The First Secretary led a careful review process to look at every strand of the ODA budget and assess the impacts of spend. ODA spend for 2020 was prioritised to focus on key strategic objectives including poverty reduction for the ‘bottom billion’, tackling climate change and reversing biodiversity loss, championing girls’ education, UK leadership in the global response to Covid-19, and protecting the UK’s science base. These priorities will help the government to deliver our manifesto commitments and ensure that the UK is a global force for good.The work of UK Aid to reduce poverty will remain central to the new department’s mission and we will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act.

Overseas Aid

baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the First Secretary of State’s announcement of a £2.9 billion package of reductions to the Government’s planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend for 2020 on 22 July, what arrangements they have put in place to tailor ODA spending further during the remaining months of the year.

baroness sugg: The Department, working with HM Treasury and other Government departments, is continually planning to ensure the UK meets its Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. As normal, there will continue to be adjustments in-year to individual departmental ODA spend to meet the 0.7% target. DFID has been preparing for this by working with our Ministers and other aid spending Departments to prioritise our lifesaving aid, stop the spread of coronavirus and ensure our aid delivers the best value for money for the British taxpayer.

Overseas Aid: Coronavirus

lord chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, if any, of the reduction in the annual UK aid budget as a result of the reduction in the UK Gross National Income due to the economic impact of COVID-19.

baroness sugg: Given the likely decrease in the size of the economy this year, and therefore a decrease in the value of the 0.7% commitment, a package of £2.9bn of reductions in the Government’s planned ODA spend has been agreed. This package includes underspends, delaying activity and stopping some spend. The package will see some reductions made now, with arrangements in place to tailor spending further during the remaining months as we start to gain a clearer economic picture. As normal, there will continue to be adjustments in-year to individual departmental ODA spend to meet the 0.7% commitment.

Overseas Aid

lord chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, if any, of the proportion of the UK aid budget now spent outside of the Department for International Development.

baroness sugg: In 2019, 27% of UK ODA was spent outside of the Department for International Development. This includes spend by other government departments and funds as well as non-departmental spend such as debt relief and the proportion of gift aid used on ODA eligible activities.

Department for Education

Children: Social Services

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Education on 12 February (HCWS110), what plans they have to engage with the children’s social care sector to develop the terms of reference for their review of the care system; and when those terms of reference will be published.

baroness berridge: The Care Review is a fundamental part of the government’s manifesto, and will be launched as soon as possible. The review will be bold, broad, and independently led, taking a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people. We will engage with the children’s social care sector and ensure the review reflects the experiences of those who have needed a social worker and been in care, putting children, young people, and their families at its centre.

Computers and Education: Coronavirus

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many laptops each (1) local authority, and (2) multi-academy trust has received since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; and how many vulnerable pupils are educated by each (a) local authority, and (b) multi-academy trust, in England.

baroness berridge: The government has provided laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and children in year 10 do not have internet connections, the government has provided 4G wireless routers. The department has delivered laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to local authorities and academy trusts based on the department’s estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device. Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify children and young people who need devices and prioritise their needs. The department has published data on devices delivered through the programme here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data. The department will be publishing a breakdown of data on devices delivered to each local authority and academy trust in future. The closest matching available data on pupil attendance, including the attendance of vulnerable children, in educational establishments in England since 23 March was published on Tuesday 21 July at the following link and covers data up to Friday 17 July:https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. The data is collected from individual education establishments and the published figures include estimates for non-response. Equivalent estimates have not been made at lower level geographies. While the department is committed to welcoming all children back to school from September we recognise that there will be an ongoing role for remote education in the event a school is required to close temporarily. Schools are being asked to make preparations for this eventuality. We are reviewing the need to provide further support where this occurs.

Teachers: Mental Health

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement on 7 June of a pilot project with the Education Support Partnership to provide online peer support and telephone supervision to school leaders, how many people have accessed support through that scheme.

baroness berridge: Following the government’s announcement in June of a pilot project with the Education Support Partnership to provide online peer support and telephone supervision to 250 school leaders managing the pressures caused by COVID-19, a total of 132 school leaders are accessing support through the programme so far. As of 28 July, 39 school leaders are accessing peer support and 93 have been registered to receive one to one telephone supervision.

Remote Education: Finance

lord aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they will make available to education establishments to invest in virtual learning environments.

baroness berridge: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the department is investing £14.3 million to fund expert technical support for schools to get set up on an accredited digital education environment. Using this funding, schools and multi academy trusts can apply to get set up on one of two free-to-use digital education environments: Google’s G Suite for Education or Microsoft’s Office 365 Education.Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-technology-for-remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19#get-help-using-online-education-platforms.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Coronavirus

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what arrangementsare in place to ensure that House of Lords staff with pre-existing health conditions are protected from COVID-19 if they return to work in the office after the summer recess.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The Administration continues to work with Public Health England to maintain Parliament’s status as a COVID-19-secure workplace. A risk assessment process has also been put in place to enable the Administration to consider and act on risks to employees who may be returning to the parliamentary estate.

Peers: Russia

lord balfe: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament Russia, published on 21 July, what plans the Conduct Committee has to respond to the recommendations of that report.

lord mcfall of alcluith: I have consulted the Chair of the Conduct Committee, Lord Mance, who reports that the Committee had an initial discussion on 23 July about the ISC recommendation aimed at the House of Lords. The Committee requested a detailed paper on the rules around members working with foreign governments and the wider question of whether members should be required to disclose the amounts of money that they earn. The Committee will consider the paper in September.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the lessons that they learned from allocating funding under the European Social Fund that have influenced the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

lord greenhalgh: The Government understands the importance of local growth funding to places and people and is committed to creating the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to succeed European structural funds, providing vital investment in local economies, cutting out bureaucracy and levelling up those parts of the UK whose economies are furthest behind.The Government has engaged with key stakeholders on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund since 2016, including holding a series of engagement events across the UK. As we approach the transition from European Social Fund to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, we will continue to engage with partners in order to aid policy development.Final decisions on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will need to be made through a cross-Government Spending Review, and we will set out further plans for the fund in due course.

Housing: Construction

baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their proposed First Homes policy on the provision of social and affordable rented homes.

lord greenhalgh: The Government recognises the important role of affordable housing and supplying new homes of all affordable tenures. Affordable homes will help support people into home ownership; reduce the impact of high rents in the private rented sector where people struggle to afford it; and mitigate the risk of homelessness.The Government is mindful of the trade-off between the level of ambition for First Homes, funded through developer contributions, and the supply of other affordable housing tenures. There are many factors that will affect this trade off beyond the level of First Homes delivery through section 106, especially any price/income caps or additional discounts in high value areas to increase affordability. We therefore do not consider it appropriate to make predictions until these factors are better understood through our response to the consultation, which we hope to publish soon.The proportions of section 106 described in the consultation are illustrative examples and should not be taken as Government intentions at this stage. The lowest proportion at 40% was chosen as it is roughly equal to the current proportion of section 106 which delivers home ownership products (37% in 2018-2019).

Community Charge: Non-payment

lord jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total amount of uncollected poll tax, post poll tax abolition.

lord greenhalgh: The Department no longer collects data on the amount of community charge that remains uncollected.

Buildings: Insulation

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Housing Associations will be able to access the Remedial Fund for Cladding without having to use charitable resources ring fenced for charitable purposes and without having to charge leaseholders.

lord greenhalgh: We continue to engage with the social sector to ensure that leaseholders are supported and do not have to bear the costs associated with remediation of unsafe non-ACM cladding. Housing Associations will be able to apply for funding to cover the cost of remediation that they would otherwise pass on to leaseholders. Each Housing Association will need to make its own assessment as to how best to meet the remaining remediation costs in line with their business plans and different sources of income.

Buildings: Insulation

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken a review to ascertain whether leaseholders of Housing Associations properties might be unfairly discriminated against in relation to leaseholders of private landlords in the allocation of the Remedial Fund for Cladding.

lord greenhalgh: The Secretary of State considered the decision to launch the Building Safety Fund in line with requirements under the Public Sector Equality duty. Funding is being provided to support leaseholders in both the social and private sectors. Where funding is claimed from government, the costs of remediating unsafe non-ACM cladding systems cannot be passed onto leaseholders.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Coronavirus

lord robathan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many serving personnel in the Armed Forces aged (1) 18–24, (2) 25–29, (3) 30–34, (4) 35–39, (5) 40 or more, years old have (a) contracted, and (b) died as a result of, COVID-19.

baroness goldie: As at 17 July 2020 (inclusive), 406 UK Armed Forces personnel had a positive COVID-19 infection test result entered into their medical record. Of which:57 were aged 18-24 years.70 were aged 25-29 years.66 were aged 30-34 years.61 were aged 35-39 years152 were aged 40+yearsTwo of these UK Armed Forces personnel with a positive COVID-19 infection test result subsequently died; both personnel were aged 40+ years.

Royal Ordnance: Royalties

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they receive royalty payments for equipment manufacture by Sage Control Ordnance under licence from Police Ordnance Co Ltd in Canada where the equipment was originally designed by Royal Ordnance.

baroness goldie: The Ministry of Defence does not receive royalty payments for equipment manufactured by Sage Control Ordnance under licence from Police Ordnance Co Ltd in Canada, where the equipment was originally designed by Royal Ordnance.

Submarines: Accidents

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Marine Accident Investigation BranchAccident Investigation Report13/2020: Stena Superfast VII and Royal Navy submarine, publishedon 16 July, what steps they are taking to improve the training of the Royal Navy Submarine Service on the identification of higher speed passenger vessels.

baroness goldie: Ensuring safety at sea is a top priority for the Royal Navy. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch's (MAIB) report is welcomed and the Royal Navy fully accepts their recommendation.All training is continually reviewed to ensure that safety lessons from incidents such as this are rapidly incorporated into command team shore and sea training to ensure that Service personnel are rigorously trained, tested and assessed on its execution. Such training specifically includes operating in the vicinity of high speed vessels including ferries.

Department for Work and Pensions

Disability: Coronavirus

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on disabled people; and what plans are in place to aid recovery from that impact.

baroness stedman-scott: The Government is committed to supporting disabled people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people using existing and new data sources. The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work has had discussions with charities, disabled people's organisations and individuals to understand the range of experiences disabled people have had during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the support needed as lockdown restrictions are eased We are ensuring that disabled people continue to have access to disability benefits, food, medicines, essentials, accessible communications, updated guidance, including workplace and transport related guidance, as well as financial and other support during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Government continues to provide disability employment support through initiatives such as Access to Work, Disability Confident, the Work and Health Programme, Intensive Personalised Employment Support, and other forms of support that disabled people need to retain, adapt and move into employment. The Cabinet Office Disability Unit continues to work with disability stakeholders and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the UK Government’s response to COVID-19. We are clear that consideration of equality impacts must be integral in all key policy decisions. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will publish the National Strategy for Disabled People taking into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people. The Strategy will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects and phases of life, including employment, housing, education and transport.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

River Wharfe: Swimming

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to be able to respond to the application by river users and residents to turn part of the River Wharfe in Ilkley into a bathing water area; and by what process they are considering that application.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: We received an application from the Ilkley Clean River Group in October 2019 for a stretch of the River Wharfe to be designated as a bathing water area. After reviewing further evidence, we are now preparing to proceed to a public consultation. Given the ongoing situation with Covid-19, we will schedule a date to begin the consultation as soon as it is appropriate to do so. This was confirmed by Minister Pow in a letter to the Ilkley Clean River Group on 13 May, following a meeting with Robbie Moore MP to discuss the application. We have considered the application in line with our usual process for applications for bathing water designation, the details of which are available on the GOV.UK website.

Home Office

Migrant Workers: Social Services

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to lower the income requirement for those from outside the UK seeking employment in the care sector.

baroness williams of trafford: We very much value the role many who have come to this country play in our health and care sector, but we will not be introducing a general route for employers to seek cheaper labour from abroad. This follows advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). The MAC is clear a solution to recruitment issues in social care cannot just be solved via the UK’s immigration system. Employers need to invest in technology, innovation and their existing workforce, focusing on making jobs more attractive for UK workers, not just looking to the migration system instead. The Government is supporting the sector in many ways, including through additional funding and launching a national recruitment campaign.

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

baroness blackstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on plans to (1) move to an electronic system of marriage registration, (2) add mothers' names to marriage certificates, (3) allow conversions between opposite-sex marriages and civil partnerships, and (4) bring into force reforms to divorce, dissolution, and separation.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office is currently working on implementation plans to introduce the provisions in the Civil Partnership, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc) Act 2019. This will facilitate the move to an electronic system of marriage registration and the update of the marriage entry to include the names of both sets of parents of a couple. The Government Equalities Office ran a six-week consultation on the future of conversion rights in summer 2019. We are analysing the responses and will publish the government response and bring forward any necessary legislation in 2020. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act received Royal Assent in June. The Government has been clear implementing its reforms will be a significant and complex task. Given the scale of the work needed, we are working to an indicative timetable of Autumn 2021.

Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Daesh fighters are known to have returned to the UK; how many such fighters and individuals assisting Daesh in different capacities have been prosecuted in the UK courts, including anyone who has (1) financed, or (2) recruited for, Daesh; on what charges any such individuals have been prosecuted; and what progress they havemade on the proposal to establish an international ad-hoc tribunal for Daesh.

baroness williams of trafford: Around 900 people have travelled from the UK to engage with the conflict in Syria and Iraq, against the advice of the Foreign Office.  Of these, approximately 20% have been killed in the conflict and around 40% have returned to the UK. The Governments priority is the safety and security of the people who live here. All of those who have returned, have been investigated and the majority have been assessed to pose no, or a low security risk. Around 40 individuals have been convicted on their return from Syria/Iraq, either because of offences committed overseas or for other activity linked to their involvement in terrorism. Individuals can be convicted in UK courts of offences committed overseas (including preparation of terrorism, encouragement of terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation). Furthermore, through the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, we have extended this to new offences including: inviting or recklessly expressing support for a proscribed organisation and for sharing their propaganda. The UK continues to work with international partners, as well as partners in the region in seeking to secure the prosecution of individuals who have committed crimes in the name of Daesh. Any such justice mechanism must respect human rights and the rule of law.

Nitrous Oxide: Young People

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of restrictions on the supply of nitrous oxide to young people; and what plans they have to strengthen those restrictions.

baroness williams of trafford: The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (‘the 2016 Act’) provides the legislative framework for restrictions on supply of psychoactive substances, which includes nitrous oxide. The 2016 Act makes it an offence (with limited exemptions) to intentionally supply psychoactive substances , where the person knows, or is reckless as to whether, the psychoactive substance is likely to be consumed by a person for its psychoactive effects. A review of the Act was published in November 2018, concluding that it had been effective in addressing the open sale of psychoactive substances. Further action in relation to addressing online harms, including online supply of psychoactive substances for their psychoactive effect, is set out in the Online Harms White Paper which aims to make companies more responsible for their users’ safety online, especially for children and other vulnerable groups.

Cabinet Office

Subversion: Russia

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessmentthey have made of the risk of Russian interference in UK democratic processes; and what steps they are taking to enable therapid publication of the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee Russia,sent to the Prime Minister on 17 October 2019.

lord true: The Intelligence and Security Committee published its Russia Report on 21 July 2020. The Government published its response to the report on the same day.I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 16 July 2020 by the Foreign Secretary, which was repeated in this House (HLWS376).

Subversion: Russia

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament Russia, published on 21 July, what assessment they made of the open source studies which found evidence to suggest that Russia was attempting to influence the outcome of the EU referendum and which “pointed to the preponderance of pro-Brexit or anti-EU stories and the use of ‘bots’ and ‘trolls’”.

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament Russia, published on 21 July, what assessment they have made of why Russia may have attempted to influence the outcome of the EU referendum.

lord true: We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU Referendum. The Government has published its response to the Intelligence and Security Committee report.

Subversion: Russia

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons why the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament Russia, sent to the Prime Minister on 17 October 2019, was not published until 21 July.

lord true: As the Government has set out previously, the report is the property of the independent committee. It is for the Intelligence and Security Committee to lay their reports before Parliament and the reconstituted Committee did so on 21 July.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further plans they have to change regulations relating to COVID-19; and how any such plans have been influenced by the behaviour of any ministers or advisors who may have previously violated those regulations.

lord true: We are at a stage of the epidemic where the number of infections has come down considerably from its peak and the virus is broadly under control in the majority of the UK. The Government keeps the situation under constant review and remains ready to take further action if required. We have made regulations in response to local outbreaks. We have also amended the border restrictions on various occasions in response to changes in the spread of the virus in other countries. As is always the case, decisions on health and other such measures are made on the basis of official advice, informed by expert scientific advisers.

Subversion

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make certain that no future (1) election, or (2) referendum, in the UK will be subject to outside interference.

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to instruct the intelligence agencies to produce a plan to address any interference by the government of Russia inUK (1) democratic processes, and (2) society.

lord true: The Security and Intelligence Agencies produce and contribute to regular assessments of the threat posed by Hostile State Activity. We keep such assessments under review and, where necessary, update them in response to new intelligence. It is, and will always be, an absolute priority to protect our democracy and elections. In July 2019 we announced the Defending Democracy programme to bring together government, civil society and private sector organisations to ensure our democracy stays open, vibrant and transparent.

Coronavirus: Death

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord True on 28 May (HL4424),what estimate they have made of the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the UK in each weeksince 1 May.

lord true: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond. Dear Lord Marlesford,As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 28 May (HL4424), about the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the UK in each week since 1 May (HL7234).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing numbers of deaths registered in England and Wales. The most recent annual figures published are for deaths registered in 2019[1]. However, we do publish provisional weekly deaths registrations, which are currently available for deaths registered up to 10 July 2020[2]. National Records Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for publishing the number of deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.Cause of death is defined using the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th edition (ICD-10). Deaths involving COVID-19, as either a contributory or underlying cause of death, are identified by the ICD-10 codes U07.1 and U07.2.The accompanying dataset2 to our provisional weekly deaths bulletin includes UK data on deaths involving COVID-19, which refer to deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate.Table 1 shows the provisional number of deaths involving COVID-19 registered each week in the UK from the week ending 8 May up to the week ending 10 July 2020, broken down by country.Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond Table 1: Number of deaths involving COVID-19 registered each week in the UK, week ending 8 May up to the week ending 10 July 2020[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]Week numberWeek endedUKEnglandWalesScotlandNorthern Ireland1908-May-204,4263,716211415842015-May-204,2143,624180336742122-May-202,8722,455134230532229-May-202,0001,715105131492305-Jun-201,6971,48810089202412-Jun-201,2041,0575769212519-Jun-208497443949172626-Jun-206515743035122703-Jul-205614973518112810-Jul-2038834422139[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/deathsregisteredinenglandandwalesseriesdrreferencetables[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwales[3]Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes U07.1, U07.2[4]Figures are based on deaths registered up to 1 May 2020[5]All figures for 2020 are provisional[6]Weekly deaths for Scotland are produced by NRS: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats[7]Weekly deaths for Northern Ireland are produced by NISRA: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats[8]England, Wales and Northern Ireland weekly deaths run from Saturday to Friday, Scotland deaths run from Monday to Sunday[9]Northern Ireland week allocation differs from other countries. For example, week 1 is week ending 10-Jan. This has been adjusted for the purpose of aggregating the data

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: USA

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 23 July (HL6931), what plans they have to ensure that the UK’s road vehicle environmental and safety standards will apply to vehicles which are subject to any free trade agreement negotiated with the government of the United States.

lord grimstone of boscobel: British environmental and safety standards will apply to all vehicles operating on British roads. This is as true of vehicles imported under a free trade agreement as it is to vehicles that have been manufactured here. Vehicles exported to the United States will similarly need to adhere to the environmental and safety standards that are in force there. This is true of both federal and state level standards / regulations.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they decided to resume granting export licences for the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.

lord grimstone of boscobel: The Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) of 7th July 2020 set out details of the revised methodology developed to comply with the Court of Appeal’s judgment of 20th June 2019 and applied to re-take the decisions remitted by the Court of Appeal on the correct legal basis. It also set out why my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade assessed that there is not a clear risk that the export of arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. Having now re-taken the decisions that were the subject of judicial review on the correct legal basis, as required by the Order of the Court of Appeal of 20th June 2019, it follows that the undertaking given to the Court – that we would not grant any new licences for the export of arms or military equipment to Saudi Arabia for possible use in Yemen – falls away. The broader commitment that was given to Parliament, relating to licences for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, also no longer applies. Decisions on export licence applications for Saudi Arabia and its Coalition partners for possible use in the conflict in Yemen can now be taken. All export licence applications will be assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Commonwealth Games 2022

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games about the diversity ofits workforce.

baroness barran: The government is in regular discussions with the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee about equality, inclusivity and the diversity of its workforce. Birmingham 2022 is committed to living up to the Games Partners’ common purpose of being a ‘games for everyone’ and recognises it has work to do to ensure its workforce reflects the rich diversity of the West Midlands. It is developing an initial roadmap to move forward positively on the issue and recently set this out in an open letter which can be found on its website. It is also committed to openness and transparency. More details of its action plan will be made public in due course.

Leisure: Coronavirus

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to work with local authorities to provide additional leisure facilities, especially for young people, in areas of high unemployment following the COVID-19 pandemic.

baroness barran: Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. Swimming pools, indoor gyms and leisure centres (including sports halls) should now be able to reopen. These facilities will be able to offer on-site services to customers, provided they are COVID-secure and follow Government guidance. Sport England have announced a £195 million package of support to help community clubs through this crisis. It recently boosted its Community Emergency Fund by a further £15 million to meet the demand, taking the total up to £210 million. The income scheme announced on Thursday 2 July by the Secretary of State for Local Government, aims to support local authorities who have incurred irrecoverable loss of income from sales, fees and charge which they had reasonably budgeted for. Further guidance will follow on the principle of the scheme. The Government is providing local authorities with an unprecedented package of support, allocating £4.3bn of support for spending pressures, including £3.7bn of un-ringfenced grants and the £600m Infection Control Fund.

Arts: Insurance

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made (1) of the difficulties in obtaining insurance cover faced by people working in the creative industries, and (2) of the effect that such difficulties may have on those people’s creative output; and what plans they have to support such people.

baroness barran: The Government has announced a £500m compensation scheme to assist the film and TV production sectors who are ready to return to work, but are precluded from doing so by the difficulties they face obtaining insurance cover for Covid-19. The new UK-wide £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme will get TV and film productions across the country that have been halted or delayed specifically by a lack of insurance back up and running by giving productions the confidence they need that they will be supported if future losses are incurred due to Covid-19. It will fill the gap left by the lack of available insurance and cover coronavirus-related losses for cast member and crew illnesses and filming delays or disruptions caused by the Covid-19. The scheme will directly support up to 40,000 - 50,000 jobs in the film and TV production industry. A targeted intervention in the TV and film sector was considered necessary for its restart. The government will continue to monitor what further action is needed to support the re-opening of the economy and any potential further interventions would be assessed on a case by case basis. With regard to other creative industries, we are regularly in touch with a range of stakeholders from across the Creative Industries, including via ministerially-chaired roundtables, to ensure that we fully understand the range of issues affecting them during the Covid crisis and recovery period. In terms of supporting the creative workforce, other recently announced sector-specific schemes include the £1.57bn funding package for the arts, culture and heritage industries, which comes on top of the multi-billion pound support already made available to the cultural and creative sectors, including the Job Retention Scheme and the Self Employed Income Support Scheme.

Performing Arts: Coronavirus

the earl of clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that there is full consultation across the performing arts sector on any Government-commissioned research into managing risks arising from COVID-19 in the performing arts.

baroness barran: It is a priority of my department to work with the arts and cultural sectors to address the challenges of reopening. We are committed to getting the performing arts sector fully back up and running as soon as it is safe to do so. We have published guidance to support the performing arts to engage in activity safely. This guidance was extensively consulted upon and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/performing-arts We continue to work closely with the sector to understand further measures that can be used to help the safety of all who engage in the performing arts.

Huawei

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey have made in establishing how BT verify Huawei’s denials of (1) the use of slave labour, and (2) the use of Huawei technology in oppressing Uighur people.

baroness barran: Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 made the UK the first country to require large businesses to report annually on steps taken to prevent modern slavery, including forced labour, in their operations and supply chains. BT are subject to, and comply with, those requirements. The Act does not require organisations to certify that their supply chains are slavery free but asks businesses to be transparent about their assessment of modern slavery risks and measures taken to mitigate these. To improve reporting quality, we are developing a government-run registry of modern slavery statements to make it easier for consumers, investors and civil society to hold businesses to account. We have also consulted on proposals to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act and increase transparency and improve compliance. We have been clear that China’s approach in Xinjiang is wrong and must stop. We regularly raise our concerns directly with our Chinese counterparts and are playing a leading role to increase international attention to the situation, including leading a Joint Statement at the UN Human Rights Council in June supported by 27 other countries, highlighting arbitrary detention, widespread surveillance and restrictions, particularly those targeting Uyghurs and other minorities, and urged China to allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights meaningful access to the region.

World Heritage Sites

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made with regard to the applications for World Heritage Status for (1) Chatham Dockyard and its Defences, (2) Creswell Crags, (3) Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory, (4) Flow Country, (5) Great Spas of Europe, (6) Island of St Helena, (7) Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof: the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland, (8) Slate Industry of North Wales, (9) The Twin Monastery of Wearmouth Jarrow, and (10) Turks and Caicos Islands.

baroness barran: UNESCO World Heritage inscription is recognition that a cultural or natural site is of Outstanding Universal Value to humanity. As such, the process for achieving this status is highly rigorous. Each State Party to the World Heritage Convention is responsible for maintaining a tentative list of sites from which nominations may be developed. The sites mentioned in this question are all on the UK’s current tentative list. As each country may only nominate a maximum of one site per year from this list, the UK government will only submit nominations which clearly demonstrate that a site meets the criteria, authenticity, integrity and management required. In January 2020, the Government nominated the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales to UNESCO for potential inscription in 2021. The Great Spas of Europe, which includes Bath, was nominated in 2019 alongside 11 other spa towns throughout Europe and will be considered for inscription at the next World Heritage Committee meeting. Additionally, the Flow Country has passed a UK expert evaluation, and now may proceed to develop a nomination. Other sites on this list are at earlier stages in the process, or have determined that they do not intend to move forward with the development of a nomination at this stage.

Women and Equalities

Equality: Coronavirus

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the intersection between relevant dimensions of inequality and the impact of COVID-19.

baroness berridge: This Government is learning as much and as quickly as possible about this virus, who it affects and how best to keep everyone safe and protect those who may be more vulnerable to COVID-19.The Government is committed to supporting all people affected by COVID-19, including those that are disproportionately affected by it. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to monitor the virus’ impact using existing and new data sources.The Government commissioned Public Health England to review how different factors - including ethnicity, gender and obesity - can impact on people’s health outcomes from COVID-19. The review was published on 2 June, and the Prime Minister has asked the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, to act on its findings. On 4 June, the Minister for Equalities set out the Terms of Reference for this work, which include commissioning further data, research and analytical work to clarify the scale, and drivers, of the gaps in evidence highlighted by the report.

Equality: Ethnic Groups and Gender

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the recent Higher Education Statistics Agencystatistics which suggest that gender and race inequalities are established immediately after university graduation.

baroness berridge: It is disappointing to see the disparities shown in the HESA Graduate Outcome Data publication, but it highlights why collecting this information is so important. To tackle these gaps the Government is focused on ensuring equality of opportunity exists for everyone.To help us do this the Government has established an independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which will examine ethnic inequalities across the whole population in the UK, and report by the end of this year.To tackle income and employment disparities we are ensuring more women are equipped to enter STEM careers, where some jobs have higher than average wages, and we are encouraging flexible working, so parents are not held back. The Government is also doubling the number of front line staff at job centres, providing an extra £32m to recruit extra careers advisers and providing £17m for work academies in England to help make sure those looking for employment are offered the support they need to fulfil their potential.

Electronic Commerce

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to ensure that no one is discriminated against when booking goods and services online from companies based in the UK on the basis of their name.

baroness berridge: Domestic anti-discrimination law is contained in the Equality Act 2010 (“the Act”).A person’s name may be indicative of their sex and/or their race, both of which are grounds for discrimination covered by the Act.If a provider of goods or services treats someone unfairly because of their name, for instance because it indicates that they are of a certain colour, nationality or ethnic origin, that may constitute unlawful discrimination under the Act.If someone believes that they have suffered discrimination for this reason they can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which provides free help and advice to the public. The service can be contacted by a range of means, including by telephone (0808 800 0082) or via its website: https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/.

Equal Pay: Disclosure of Information

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the suspension of gender pay gap reporting during the COVID-19 pandemicon gender pay gap inequality.

baroness berridge: I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given to HL6083 on 3rd July 2020.